The Moonlight Swordsman



In a run-down restaurant on the second floor, three mages stayed hidden and kept watch. Their mana senses were very sharp and ready to act at a moment's notice.

"As you have noticed, one of the mages has already been eliminated now," One of them said.

"Do you think it is from our team or from the princess?" Another one asked.

"It's difficult to say. What we can do now is stay hidden and wait for Kageri's instructions." The last one, who had a grumpy voice, said.

A small movement in one of the mage's eyebrows made him look in a certain direction.

"What happened?" Another mage asked, looking towards him.

"It seems one of my lookout pets noticed some movements," He replied.

"Did they already fund us?"

"I think they split up in groups; one of the groups might be on us. While the other one might be fighting with Kageri and Monga. 

"The disappearance of the mage already showed us the fight is still going on," The mage with a grumpy voice explained.

"What should we do then?"

The mage with a grumpy voice fell into deep thought while absentmindedly stroking his chin.

"We should set up a trap and find a chance to attack them first. Then we can only hope Kageri and Monga will join us soon," He replied.

"Okay, then I will inform my pets," Another mage said.

"Let's go out and then,"

As soon as they exited the broken-down building, the three of them started a quiet conversation to plan their strategy and plan of attack.

*****

Soren and Zareena followed Raven's lead as they made their way through the maze of streets, taking their time as they passed past the ruins of houses and other buildings.

"Raven, is there anything you noticed?" Zareena asked.

"Not for now, princess. It looks like they are hiding somewhere," Raven replied.

The quick speed of the three people slowed to a careful walk over time. Soren kept his watchful eyes on any possible paths that led to the sewers.

Amid the rippling, murky waters, swarms of rats scurried about. 

But he was most interested in one rat, which was different from the others and seemed strange. It was very still, and its eyes were a strange shade of red and were focused on them.

With deliberate steps, Soren advanced toward the rat, his movements purposeful and measured. 

Zareena and Raven, who were both very alert, also focused on the strange creature.

As the gap widened between Soren and his companions, a disturbance rippled through the air before Raven and Zareena.

With the speed of lightning, a clawed limb shot out of the commotion, its sharp edges shining in an unsettling way.

The attack was done so quickly that Zareena's abdomen took the force of it. Her body jerked back, and her hands moved automatically to stop the flow of blood.

Raven's face showed his shock and concern, with his eyes widening at the sudden attack.

"I am fine; just stay on alert. There might be more batlings," Zareen said.

Raven swiftly conjured a shroud of inky darkness that enveloped their surroundings, effectively obscuring both herself and Zareena within its concealment.

As if from nowhere again, two ripples in the fabric of space materialized around Soren. Emerging from these ripples were lightning-clad creatures with menacing, clawed appendages. 

Yet, Soren's readiness proved his advantage. With his standard-grade sword, he executed precise and swift slashes, severing their limbs in one fluid motion. The ripples receded, accompanied by a faint cry that seemed to echo from within.

Soren's eyes kept going back to the severed limbs, whose dark color and sharp claws caught his attention. Lightning was still dancing around these cut limbs, giving them a strange glow.

"Hmm... batlings..."

He turned on his heel and looked at the rising obsidian cloud that enveloped Raven and Zareena within its depths.

The cloud is poisonous, so batlings won't be able to enter easily."

In the meantime, I should bring out the remaining batlings from their hiding place. I never knew this dimension also had beasts," Soren thought. 

Soren's eyelids lowered, and his concentration grew stronger as he began to focus. The air became thick and full of strong mana, giving it a weight that could be felt.

In an instant, his eyes snapped open, and a rush of power shot out in all directions, sending a gravity shockwave through the area. 

The shockwave swept across the landscape, shattering the ripples in its path and causing the very ground to quake and tremble.

The batlings were thrown out of the cracks and ripples, their dark eyes bleeding a deep crimson hue, and their ears showing signs of distress from the force of the shockwave.

With bat-like faces and scary wings on their backs, these two-meter-tall creatures were an evil mix of darkness.

Soren made a strong move by raising and then lowering his hand, which caused a quick change in gravity.

The heavy force fell with unstoppable speed, crushing the batlings beneath it into a horrible mix of mushy meat and red blood.

"Disgusting Creature," he said.

Meanwhile, far away from the place...

"This guy is really too strong," The mage said, who had his eyes closed all the time.

"Did they kill every single one of your pets?" The mage with the grumpy voice asked.

"Not they. Soren alone killed them in an instant. They got Princess in one attack, but now she might be healed up inside that black cloud," He replied.

"What should we do now?" The other mage asked.

"I think we should attack them with all my pets now." 

"Okay, let's go."

*****

"Princess, is it better?" Raven asked. She slowly started to disperse the black cloud from the surrounding area.

"Yeah, I used the healing potion," Zareena replied as they both walked toward Soren, who was inspecting the creature's body. 

"Did you get rid of every single one?" Zareena asked.

"Yes, but we need to be more careful. There might be many more creatures and beasts hidden in this city." Soren replied

Both Zareena and Raven looked at each other with dumbfounded expressions.

"Ahem... Soren, they were summoned." Zareena said.

"Summon? You are saying there is a mage who summoned them?" He asked while rubbing his chin.

"Yes.. this is a dimension only for battle. The only creatures are rats here in the sewers," She replied and sighed.

"I see,"

"So... one of the mage is a summoner; probably he might have more beasts and creatures in his arsenal," Raven said.

"Wait...." Soren suddenly said.

"They are already here."

Zareena and Princess looked at each other with wary eyes, their senses tingling with newfound alertness.

Over time, their mana senses also started to pick up on a clear presence. 

Their attention was drawn upward as they perceived a mage perched atop a majestic bird, soaring through the sky with a purposeful trajectory aimed directly at them.

"Only one?" Raven asked.

"He might be hiding the other two in space cracks that batlings can make," Soren replied.

Raven looked at him with a dumbfounded expression.

"Sometimes you are way dumb, while sometimes you are really smart. What is the deal with you?" She asked.

"Focus now," Zareena said.

A magnificent bird resembling a miniature phoenix with its resplendent orange plumage and intricate details. It opened its beak gracefully, letting out a fiery breath that rushed at the three people in a hot flood.

Raven quickly called up his staff and pointed it at the fire that was coming.  An inky vortex materialized before the fiery assault, absorbing the flames with an eerie darkness akin to a voracious black hole.

Soren used his power, dropped his weight like a leaf in the wind, and flew toward the regal phoenix.

But in an instant, he stopped moving forward in the air, as if he had been caught by invisible threads. Suddenly, a crack opened up and out came another mage. 

However, swift as a flicker of light, the golden leaves interceded, whisking the intruder back into the crevice from where he came.

Even so, a blow grazed Soren's face. His descent met the earth with force, birthing a profound crater upon impact.

"One mage on the top of a phoenix, One tried to come out of the crack but went inside. Then who punched Soren?" Zareena thought of her leaves flying around her, ready for any type of attack.

"I think one of the mages can turn invisible," Raven replied.

*Skreeeeeee*

The phoenix let out a loud cry that cut through the air, then spread its fire wings and flew down quickly, heading right at Zareena and Raven. 

At the same time, it let go of a bunch of fireballs that flew toward the two people.

The golden leaves flew through the air as quickly as a whispering breeze. Their edges cut through the coming fireballs with an accuracy that was almost musical.

Raven and Zareena saw their opportunity and ran in opposite directions to escape the oncoming fire.